Do not be baited by the speed of social media by ignoring the journalistic process that you have to do
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Reporters’ understanding on the code of ethics remains low, which is proven by the many public complaints concerning code of ethics violations, Press Council Member for the 2022-2025 period Tri Agung Kristanto has stated.

"Most of the complaints revolve around titles," he noted in a written statement on Wednesday.

In addition, reporters also violate other regulations concerning Article 1 and Article 3 of the Journalistic Code of Ethics, such as on bad intentions, he said.

Kristanto said he expects that the public's complaints concerning code of ethics violations by reporters may rise as the political year draws near.

To this end, it is expected that reporters should maintain accuracy while working.

"Do not be baited by the speed of social media by ignoring the journalistic process that you have to do," he remarked.

In addition, Kristanto also brought up the quotation practices that tend to occur without confirmation. This is deemed to be dangerous and should be avoided.

The Edelman survey in 2021 indicated a rise in the public's trust during the Covid disruptions, though only by one percent.

This proves that reporters, with their journalistic products, remain trustworthy in the eyes of the public.

"The press could still be friendly with social media, but we can not be baited by it," Kristanto noted.

In line with that statement, Indonesian Journalists Association's (PWI) Honorary Board Member Asro Kamal Rokan underlined the importance of understanding and complying with the Journalistic Code of Ethics.

According to the Press Council's survey result, around 70 percent of reporters do not understand the code of ethics. This is despite the fact that it offers the highest competence evaluation for reporters.

"This is above everything. Reporters’ competency tests always refer to this. We can not let there be any examiners who do not understand the code of ethics," he added.

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Translator: M Zulfikar, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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